


Aftermath

by 3EyedLady



Category: Elsewhere University (Webcomic)
Genre: POV Second Person, Paranoia, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Taken, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 03:59:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14300295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3EyedLady/pseuds/3EyedLady
Summary: Coming back after being Taken doesn't go well for everybody.





	Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> On the EU tag, they don't really show the dark side of being Taken. They might mention it briefly, but I haven't found anything that goes into detail with the aftermath. What about the ones who don't recover as easily as others? What about the ones who have to suffer every time they see their tormentor on campus? What about the slow recoveries, the increasing paranoia, the lingering trauma? Where are those stories?

Despite all the weird stuff that happened, Elsewhere University was a nice place. You had friends, you were studying to become a chef, and you were just enjoying the college experience. Sure, the constant presence of salt and iron was a bit annoying, and leaving creamers and butter out at night was a bit unnerving (proper refrigeration had been drilled into your brain a long time ago) but overall, life was good.

***

You noticed every so often, a shadow out of the corner of your eye. You learned to ignore it over time, though. Nothing good ever came of investigating. Still, you were always vigilant with your iron and salt. You never forgot them.

***

_All it took was a thank-you._

***

When you stumbled out of a shadowed corner of a hallway, you ran right into an RA. What a sight you must have been; thin, pale, clothes torn, eyes wide, covered in blood and sweat and god knows what else.

He says nothing as you cling to him, sobbing.

***

He takes you to the nurse’s office. It’s quiet, and safe. Salt lines all the doors and windows, and iron pipes run along the ceilings. You grip the RA’s hand as tight as you can when the nurse examines you. The nurse helps fix you; puts bandaids on small cuts and stitches on larger ones, pops your left shoulder back into its socket, and gives you clean clothes. When she asks you what happened, you tell her you can’t remember (that happens with trauma victims, you heard your lawyer mother say once. What they went through was so bad, their brain shoves the memories into the back of their mind, for when they’re ready to remember.) She warns you not to exert yourself too much on your way out, and gives you a heavy iron chain to wear around your neck. The RA walks you back to your dorm, tucks you into bed, makes extra strong salt lines on the doors and windows, and sits beside you as you fall into a fitful sleep.

***

After a week, you start to go back to classes. School officials say that you can take as much time as you need before you resume classes, but you really want to get back into the swing of things. You want to feel somewhat normal again. Besides, your poor roommate has been bringing your meals to you for the past week; you don’t want to owe him anymore. Your friends are all happy you’re back, but they look at you with so much pity. You wish they wouldn’t look at you like that.

***

You become increasingly more paranoid. You stay away from the shadows as much as possible. You sleep with a nightlight. You always stay on high alert for shadows in the corner of your eyes. And above all, you make sure you have protection with you at all times.

***

Contents of your backpack  
-Textbooks  
-Pens  
-Pencils  
-Iron jewelry  
-Container of salt  
-Notebooks  
-Painkillers  
-Hazel lotion  
-Water bottle (full)  
-Iron supplements  
-Flashlight  
-Headlamp  
-Loose leaf paper  
-Extra batteries  
-Erasers  
-Some kind of fruit (usually apples or oranges)  
-Protein bars  
-Red thread  
-Extra name tags

***

You start having nightmares. You dream of a hand covering your mouth, dragging you into the unknown. You dream of running, crying, trying not to breathe too loud, trying to get away. You dream of IT finding you, catching you, of hands raking your body, of teeth scraping your skin, of bones breaking, bruises blossoming, of destruction and violation and hands reaching inside you, inside places no human should be able to touch without cutting you open-

(Somewhere in the back of your mind, you realize that these aren’t dreams.)

***

It’s getting worse. You wear iron rings, and always make sure you touch anyone who comes close to you with them. You sew pockets to the inside of your clothes and fill them with rowan leaves. You make homemade lip balm infused with salt. You are constantly on alert, and avoid the Gentry as much as possible, even some of the friendlier ones. You grow bags under your eyes from lack of sleep. You’re grades start to slip.

_You see IT again._

***

_What if IT finds you again you’ll never be able to escape again oh god oh god you don’t want to ever see IT again what happens if you’re Taken again you got lucky the last time if it finds you and catches you again IT will never let you go._

***

And all of a sudden IT’s gone. You stop seeing IT out of the corner of your eyes. You don’t notice long claws or sharpened teeth from the shadows anymore. You don’t notice the feeling of being watched everywhere you go.

(You don’t notice how your roommate gave up his ability to speak any language other than English in exchange for your protection against the being that tormented you.)

***

Life goes on at Elsewhere University. With the help of your friends, roommate, and the RA you crashed into after you escaped, you heal. You go to one of the psych students to talk about your experience, talk about how it’s affected you, talk about what you see every time you close your eyes. Your roommate isn’t bothered by the loud screams, and always holds you close when the dreams become too much. Sometimes he holds you throughout the night, clutching you to his body, making sure you are safe and protected. Your friends stop by your dorm periodically, making sure you are there. They bring you extra food, iron, and salt when they can. The RA helps to line the room with iron and checks the salt lines daily.

You stop looking over your shoulder constantly. You stop watching the shadows for the first sign of danger. You stop being overly cautious around the friendlier Gentry of the school. Hell, you even approach Jimothy to give him an entire bag of those plastic beads he likes, and you do tell him they were freely given. Life starts to look up.

***

They call you Safe on campus. It’s not the nickname you pick out, but people still call you that anyways. You give out iron and salt freely to those who need it. You remind others of the rules whenever they are in danger of forgetting. You help those in danger to find the safest path to travel, or the most secure solution. You’re in a better place. You do have bad days though; days when a shadow can set you on edge, days when the pain becomes too much to handle, days where you need to cover yourself in iron and salt and hazel and rowan and just take a minute to remind yourself of where you are.

Slowly but surely, you heal. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are appreciated. Have a nice day!


End file.
